BBB Home Improvement Guide

Green
roofs covered with low-growing plants are all the rage in the gardening
and green communities in the fight to decrease water runoff and
increase energy efficiency in homes and businesses.

But there is one plant you don't want to see up there "” algae.

The
algae, Gloeocapsa magma, is a microscopic culprit that causes ugly
black streaks on roofs making them look old and worn well before their
time. They can make roofs, especially those vast steep roofs, look
three times their age.

The algae "floats
through the air like a dandelion seed," says Evan Wood, owner of Roof
Cleaners Plus in Beechmont, which specializes in removing the growth
that lives off the tiny limestone granules in the roof shingles.
(Limestone is added to increase weight and durability to the shingle.)
Eventually it goes through a decomposition stage and the algae turns
black, causing the ugly stain. As it rains, it is spread down the roof,
causing black streaks.

What You Can't See

But,
like a low-budget thriller, it's what you can't see that's scary. The
algae still live and spread underneath the black, dead algae. The
stains tend to debut on the northern slope where the right amount of
shade and moisture are common "¢ but southern sides are often affected
as well.

If the problem is ignored, the algae
stop the shingles from reflecting heat from the sun's ultraviolet rays.
When this happens, it can affect your home's heating and cooling costs.
And because the shingles cannot reflect heat, they start to diminish
prematurely. Signs of wear are curled corners, wavy or humped shingles,
broken or loose shingles or an excess of shingle granules in your
gutters.

There are a number of remedies, from
store-bought solutions to businesses that offer scrubbing or
pressure-washing (not recommended because of shingle damage due to loss
of granules) and those, like Wood, that offer cleaning with a solution
approved by the Asphalt Roof Manufacturers Association, ARMA.

"We
use a specialized pump built into the truck and a 200-foot hose to
spray the entire roof, not just the part that's stained," says Wood,
who has spit-shined Riverbend Music Center's pavilion roof. "The
results are immediate," unlike some store-bought solutions that promise
a gradual improvement over time that may or may not materialize.

Proper Process

Because
it is a chemical application, all garden growth in the area, as well as
the windows, is kept wet during the process and rinsed immediately to
prevent damage. Gutters are cleaned beforehand, and all window
exteriors are completely cleaned after.

"If a
product says it won't harm plants, it may get rid of the stain," warns
Wood, "but not the algae underneath. The key is to keep the plants wet
during the process to protect them."

There are
sealers on the market "but none that work, to my knowledge," he says.
He recommends a two-year preventative maintenance program that sprays
an algaecide without going through the complete process and includes
gutter cleaning and a roof check-up for shingle damage. He compares it
to treating a swimming pool that's been neglected for years. "You pay
more for the initial cleaning but much less for maintenance," Wood says.

The
cleaning process is about one-tenth the cost of a roof replacement and
depends on the pitch and size of the roof, the linear feet of gutters
and the number of windows. "A Cape Cod or small ranch might be about
$400; a two-story, four-bedroom home might be about $700-$800," Wood
says.

"Hardwood
is a big player in today's market; hardwood surfaces are gaining
ground," says Mike Runyan, sales manager for McSwain Carpets and
Floors.

The family-owned company, led by
President and CEO Jason McSwain, has been in business for more than 70
years. With nine stores in Greater Cincinnati and two near Dayton,
McSwain sells and installs flooring from bamboo to luxury vinyl.

You
need only to check out real estate listings to see the value homeowners
place on hardwood floors. "It's the preferred flooring," always noted
in descriptions of homes on the market, Runyan says.

Customers
are pulling up carpet and replacing it with a new generation of
hardwood, which features wider planks and a variety of treatments and
options. Styles have gone from the 2.25-inch strips to wider pieces of
wood. Textures, including "hand-scraped" options, are challenging the
familiar glossy smooth look as a way of adding interest and depth to a
room.

"French bleed" is used to describe
hardwood floors featuring dark, often black, edges "so that the
definition of each plank is very, very strong," Runyan says. It's
distinctive and attractive. Generally, when the homeowner installs
hardwood, they are putting down a 20-year floor.

Easy Care

Luxury
vinyl tiles are taking over the laminate market, says Runyan, offering
easy-care vinyl type flooring with a lot more options including tiles
that look ceramic or wood grain planks that leave people hard pressed
to tell it from a hardwood floor. These floors have warranties of 20 to
25 years. "It's a floor that's going to hold up and last."

Ceramic-look
tiles can be laid edge-to-edge or grouted. An array of details can be
added to create a custom design for the home. The vinyl provides the
look of ceramic, but it is softer under foot and not as cold.

However,
a distinctive and very popular option as an accent piece or for one
room is the combination cut and loop carpets, which provide a
three-dimensional look on the floor. Perfect for an office or sitting
room, these carpets come in different patters including floral, basket
weave and polka dot.

Step by Step

Runyan
suggests homeowners start with a visit to the showroom to talk to
salespeople and look around. It's best to take a couple of floor
samples home and see how they look in the room under the lighting and
in combination with the rest of the décor.

It's also important to consider how the room is used as well as foot traffic, pets and children.

McSwain's website also offers these tips:

"¢ Draw a simple outline of the room, including entrances.

"¢ Measure the room, including closets and other areas needing flooring.

"¢ Note the flooring on adjoining rooms.

"¢ If possible, note what is under the existing flooring.

"¢ Decide what to do with existing baseboards and moldings.

"¢ Bring along a photo of the room.

"¢
Bring swatches and samples of fabrics and colors so design experts can
help coordinate the perfect match of flooring to complement your home.

Open, close. Tilt, lock.
When you are looking for new windows for your house, nothing replaces
heading out to the showroom and giving them a test drive.

Open
it, close it. Have the salesperson show you how you tilt it to clean it
and how it locks. Then give it a whirl "” up and down.

More
importantly, Mike Gilkey, pres-ident and CEO of Gilkey Windows, urges
homeowners to do their homework on the emerging R5 ratings by going to
the Department of Energy website.

"You'll get
your money back in two or three years" when you invest in your house by
installing better windows, says Gilkey. He recommends triple pane
windows to cut energy costs.

Gilkey also advises:

"¢ Homeowners make certain they are working with a reputable company by checking it out with the Better Business Bureau;

"¢ Make sure they are getting a strong window by requiring one with a design pressure rating of 40-50; and

"¢
Require the best possible thermal performance. "Most windows sold have
a R3 rating," according to Gilkey, who strongly advises the R5.

Ric
Thress, president of RWT Windows, says homeowners should determine
what's wrong with the current windows and whether they can be fixed or
should be replaced. Additionally, Thress suggests taking a look at the
house and the neighborhood to help determine the best style and
material for new windows.

For example, in an
older neighborhood of stately Tudors, a wood window is the right
choice. In newer neighborhoods, a proper choice may be vinyl. Thress
also asks the owner how long he or she intends to stay in the house and
whether custom colors are needed.

"Usually wood
is a lot more expensive," he says. Wood windows can be painted
different colors on the inside but vinyl means less maintenance. The
grids on wood windows offer a rich depth because they are outside the
glass but in the construction of vinyl windows, the grids are in
between the panels of glass, which again also means less maintenance.

That's
just the beginning of the decisions: double hung or casement; grids or
no grids and then how many grids; full screens, half screens;
fiberglass or aluminum screens; bay or awning; argon-filled or
krypton-filled.

Big Investment, Big Payoff

New
windows are a big investment with a big payoff. The right windows make
your home more comfortable and energy-efficient. They increase the
resale and the beauty of the home.

The extra
effort is worthwhile, and a "field trip" to a showroom is certainly in
order. Window companies usually have photos of previous customers so
you can see how the windows look installed on houses of different
types, designs and ages. Some companies will provide a list of
customers who have given permission for their address to be released
and you can drive by a house with recently installed windows, which
gives a much better idea of what you are buying than the best stock
model the salesperson pulls from the back of his truck.

You
want to be certain you like the way the windows look, the way they are
made, how they'll look in your home, down to the detail on the trim and
the sash.

Thress is the owner and estimator
and installs the windows along with his crew, so customer service is
part of the package. As with most purchases, Thress notes, even if the
products look the same, you get what you pay for. A $1 screwdriver may
look just like the $5 screwdriver bought at another store, "but after
you use it and hit it with a hammer a couple of times, you know why one
costs $1 and one costs $5," he says.

Thress recommends homeowners invest the time to explore the options and then get two or three bids before moving forward.

Tax Credits

A
tax credit of up to $500 on the homeowner's 2011 federal income tax
return may be available if all the i's are dotted and the t's are
crossed.

The replacement windows and doors
must meet ENERGY STAR standards under the "Tax Relief, Unemployment
Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act" (H.R. 4853) and there
is a lifetime cap on the credit. The unit has to be installed during
the 2011 calendar year and the credit applies to the cost of the unit,
not installation. Talk to your contractor about the paperwork needed
and it's smart to check with a qualified tax adviser on conditions and
eligibility.

There are many ways to
conserve energy at home this spring, but a good first step would be to
get an energy audit, which tells a homeowner how a home can be more
energy-efficient.

Duke Energy offers a free
energy audit for its customers. Its Home Energy House Call provides
personalized information unique to each home and its energy usage. A
trained energy specialist will conduct a thorough analysis and then
give a custom-tailored report detailing steps to increase efficiency.
Duke also will provide a free Energy Efficiency Starter Kit that
includes Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs.

A more in-depth audit from a professional could cost $300-500, but greater savings areas also could be revealed.

One
key area to target for savings: air-conditioning units. It's never a
bad time to make sure they are working efficiently. According to Duke
Energy spokesperson Sally Thelen, heating and air conditioning are the
biggest areas in which homeowners can save energy and money, accounting
for about two-thirds of utility bills. Cracks, leaks or a dirty filter
in an air-conditioning unit can be a major source of energy waste, so
make sure a professional inspects the unit before the weather heats up
and the unit starts working hard.

Another
popular way to conserve energy is by replacing standard light bulbs
with CFL bulbs. An energy-saving light bulb produces the same amount of
light as a standard bulb with less energy. According to Energy Star, a
joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Department of Energy, CFL bulbs use up to 75 percent less energy than a
standard light bulb.

For more information on
CFL bulbs, visit www.energystar.gov and try the Lighting Calculator to
see how much you can save with CFL bulbs.

Have
your appliances and electronics seen better days? Duke's website
features an Appliance Calculator that determines the cost of running
each appliance. There are also separate calculators for: thermostats,
heating, cooling, room AC, lighting, refrigerators, washers, dryers and
water heaters. Find out more about the calculators at
www.duke-energy.com/ohio/savings/calculate-your-savings.asp and find
more energy saving tips at duke-energy.com/ohio/savings.asp.

"Changing the way you think of energy can make a difference," Thelen says. "Thinking of things before you do them."

Vampires Bite

Did
you know that many electronic devices still draw energy when they
aren't being used or powered on? They are called energy vampires.

According
to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is supported by the
U.S. Department of Energy, "standby power" amounts to as much as 10
percent of residential electricity use. Some of the big culprits
include: computers, high-end printers, flat-screen TVs, DVRs, cable
boxes and DVD players. One way to combat the vampires is to use a
top-grade power strip, which does not draw energy when switched off.

Jocile Ehrlich, President/CEO of the Cincinnati Better Business Bureau

That
new patio might seem irresistible, and the updated kitchen would be
oh-so-nice. But before jumping into home improvement projects,
consumers should check with the Better Business Bureau.

Building
blusters can be avoided with some planning, checking businesses and
following useful tips from the BBB. Jocile Ehrlich, president/CEO of
the Cincinnati BBB, gives useful insight to any homeowner looking for a
contractor.

How can the BBB help people looking for home contractors?

The
BBB is an excellent resource for those setting out on a new course. We
can help by allowing people to compare businesses and give
industry-specific recommendations.

What should homeowners keep in mind when looking for contractors?

We
recommend that they get three to four estimates from contractors, and
make sure they're identical. Be sure that all items you want are listed
in the contract, down to color, cabinetry and countertops in a kitchen,
for example. For anything that's important to you, it should be
itemized in the contract.

Also, make sure that
they are properly licensed and can provide references. Don't hesitate
to pick up the phone and call people. Whatever is important to you "”
ask it. Go see what people have had done. Is it what you would want in
your home? Be sure that they are properly insured and have Workers'
Compensation.

What is the biggest mistake people make in renovating their homes?

Not
doing their homework. Don't take a friend or family member's word that
it's a good business. Make sure it's the type of company you want to
work with.

The contract also needs to be very
specific and typewritten so it's easy to understand. You should never
pay more than a third down, and the contract should include a start and
end date. The biggest thing is detail on the contract. It's a consumer
protection here "” it needs to be specified.

How does the BBB rate companies?

We
look at complaints and if they have responded to them, and we compare
that to the size of the business as well. We look at if there are any
government actions on the company and its length of time in business.
Overall, there are 16 elements to the rating system.

What kind of resources do you provide to consumers?

They
should look at our industry tips online, or feel free to call us so we
can recommend questions to ask of contractors. They can also use the
Request a Quote tool online, which can pull up industry information.
You can submit project information to up to five contractors, and they
can get in touch about an estimate.

Also, BBB
stickers designate accredited businesses that have not only met our
standards, but are dedicated to continue meeting them. If a situation
arises and it cannot be resolved with the company, the BBB will hear
those cases.

For more information on the Cincinnati BBB or to find accredited businesses, visit www.cincinnati.bbb.org or call (513) 421-3015.